This invention relates generally to a liner machine for applying a sealing compound to an article, and more particularly, to such a machine for applying a sealing compound to a can end.
This invention is especially directed to improving the operation of a prior art liner machine Model No. HSL6 sold by Preferred Machining Company of Englewood, Colo. That prior art liner machine includes a turret which rotates on a vertical spindle and has a number of work stations spaced around the spindle, each adapted to support a can end. Mounted at each station is an injector nozzle by which a sealing compound is applied to a can end, the sealing compound being fed to the injection nozzles from a supply manifold fixed to the top of the turret and receiving compound from a supply source via a Deublin rotary union. Can ends are fed into each station on one side of the turret, and discharged at an exit chute located approximately 180.degree. from the feed position. After a station passes the exit chute, a mechanical brush mechanism wipes against the nozzle to clean any excess sealing compound from the surface of the nozzle. Not only does the brush mechanism fail to adequately clean the nozzle, but it becomes dirty and gummed up and requires frequent replacement, thereby causing substantial downtime of the machine.
In other prior art liner machines, for example, a similar turret machine sold some time ago by Crown Cork and Seal Co., the sealant injector nozzles are cleaned by spraying a cleaning fluid against the nozzles and that is a much more efficient system. In the Crown machine, the spindle for the turret is hollow and a feed conduit extends upwardly through the bottom open end of the spindle from a rotary union and connects to a series of fittings in the wall of the spindle which delivers cleaning fluid to each of the stations on the rotary turret.
In the more modem Preferred machine, it was not possible to use the cleaning fluid delivery system which was part of the Crown machine. The Preferred machine advantageously incorporates an electrical control assembly as part of the turret, and the housing for the assembly is coaxially mounted on top of a hollow support spindle, with electrical lines passing upwardly through the bottom open end of the spindle to the assembly. Thus, the Preferred machine incorporated the brush system for cleaning the sealant injector nozzles.
The problem addressed by applicant's invention was to replace the brush cleaning system provided in the standard Preferred machine with a more efficient spray mist cleaning system for the sealant injector nozzles.